This season's regular season showdown has entered the final sprint stage. Those teams that are still teetering on the edge of the playoffs will have to do more. The Hawks, the dark horse team in last season's playoffs, are still struggling. At this stage, the record of 34 wins and 34 losses, as well as the awkward position of 9th place in the East, make them dare not give up every game easily. In this game, Trae Young dragged the team to Charlotte again, away to the Hornets located in that city.
To its credit, the Hornets' current record has also come to 34-35, just 0.5 wins away from the Hawks. So, as long as they can win the game smoothly, they can surpass the Eagles. Conversely, if the Hawks are the final winner, they will also be a bit of a draw with the Hornets. So, what kind of sparks will burst out of this competition between the two sides? Let's wait and see. At the beginning of the game, the Eagles' Hurth scored a three-pointer first, breaking the embarrassment of the game' opening.
And in the rest of the first quarter, the Hornets were also able to stabilize the lead. Although the star Trae Young is not in good shape, with only a poor shooting percentage of 5 shots, Hunter and Capela can step up to help the team relieve the pressure on the scoring end. That's right, Hunter single-handedly delivered 8 points, and Capela also had 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, which helped the team play a 33-29 score and take a four-point lead. After achieving a feat of domination at the beginning of the game, the Hawks, who entered the second quarter, could still maintain a lead in the score.
Trae Young changed his ways, refusing to shoot in a single quarter, but he could also deliver 1 rebound and 5 assists, helping the team play a full-fledged state, and once again took a 1-point lead with a 34-33 score. At the end of the first half, the Hawks were already leading the Hornets by a crucial five points. But unfortunately, the Hornets, who played at home, launched a strong counterattack at the first time of the easy side. In the third quarter of the competition, the Hornets, who played all-round, managed to recover the 5 points behind in the first half with a score of 23-18, pulling both sides back to the same running line.
In the competition of the key last quarter, the Wasps who have achieved good results in chasing points can also take advantage of the chase. PJ Washington showed his might, shooting 5 of 6 in a single quarter, delivering a crucial 13 points, leading the team to a 31-21 score, and achieving a final comeback with a score of 116-106! Trae Young didn't feel very good in this game, shooting 3-of-12 in a single game, and even delivering a poor shooting rate of 0-of-6 shooting from three points, as well as 6 turnovers in a single game. However, Trae Young did not help the team relieve a lot of pressure on the scoring end, but helped the team's cake king Capela play herself.
Indeed, Capela frequently ate cake on the inside of this game, once again giving away a luxury double-double of 17+15. In the past, he partnered Harden with the Rockets, becoming a perfect match for Harden, and now partnering with Trae Young in the Eagles, can also become a good player in scoring and defending inside, Capela is indeed a good blue-collar center. Sadly, the Hawks suffered a final-quarter reversal from the Hornets in the face of the Hornets' six-man scoring in double-doubles and Ball's quasi-triple-doubles. After losing the game, the Hornets also overtook the Hawks to reach ninth place in the East.